IPL braces up for White Mischief

New Delhi: England star Kevin Pietersen will have a bunch of "naughty' and "hottie" cheerleaders rooting from the sidelines when he makes his Indian Premier League debut on Saturday.

Pietersen, bought by the Bangalore Royal Challengers for a record $1.55 million, will clash with good friend Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals on the opening night in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Royal Challengers, owned by flamboyant liquor and airline tycoon Vijay Mallya, had hired the Washington Redskins cheerleaders for the inaugural IPL season last year in India.

The scantily-clad girls obviously failed to inspire as the Royal Challengers finished seventh out of eight teams in the glitzy Twenty20 tournament.

So Mallya dropped the Redskins and hired 24 members of the US-based Varsity cheerleader group for the second season, renaming them the "White Mischief Gals".

"A little bit naughty, a little more hottie and a lot more mischievous," a Mallya company release said of the group, named after his 'White Mischief' brand of vodka.

"Necklines plunging, hemlines rising, they are all set to let the mercury soar, higher than any of the sixes that come from the blades of Kevin Pietersen."

The cheerleaders, the release added, have been "specially trained in flirty acrobatic skills for a scintillating on-field performance."

The use of cheerleading squads last year provoked complaints from some conservative quarters in India.

The Mumbai Indians forced their cheerleaders to don pants instead of skirts after protests from political parties.

The White Mischief Gals will travel across South Africa for all Royal Challenger matches during the five-week tournament, offering fans "flirtatious messages and tips," the statement said.

Pietersen will only enjoy their support for the first two weeks, as he is due to return to England in early May to prepare for the Test series against the West Indies.

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Kingfisher most likely to be the official partner for IPL - 2

Industry sources told Business Line, “Kingfisher Airlines was the official partner for IPL last year. And this time around too, it is almost imminent that Kingfisher will be the official carrier.”

While the Bangalore-based airline does not fly to South Africa, the details are being worked out on the arrangements it will make to ferry people there.

No domestic airline from India flies to South Africa. However, it being domestic league some enquiries have been made with certain Indian carriers. “Jet Airways has received initial queries about operating charters to South Africa for the IPL season 2. However, at this point in time, we cannot confirm anything,” said a statement from the Mr Naresh Goyal-owned carrier.

Among foreign carriers too, only South African Airways has direct flights. Emirates, Qatar Airways, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines and Egypt Air also fly to South Africa from India, but via different routes.

Apart from being the official airline in IPL season 1, Kingfisher Airlines had also bagged the rights for being the Official Umpire Partner for the league and sponsored all third umpire decisions during the 59 matches. The umpire partnership deal was worth Rs 106 crore for a five-year period.

Mr Mallya also owns one of the IPL franchises called Royal Challengers Bangalore through his flagship firm UB Group.

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